Past, present and future of holograms

Holography was born at the time of Indian independence, but became a real technological possibility when laser was invented in 1960. The technology seems to have advanced rapidly in recent times, as holograms have started appearing everywhere: on credit cards, magazine covers, advertisements and medical images. Live shows are being performed supposedly holographs impersonating real people. NarendraModi's recent speeches were the most visible such events in India, but they were not real holograms.

Current Status of Technology

Although a holographic projection into thin air is impossible at the moment, and probably won't be for a while, realistic 3D projections can be made that can be viewed from any angle. When looked through a glass they look realistic enough to be called holograms. However, these are not real holograms but 3D projections.

Real holograms use a phenomenon called interference exhibited by all waves. Current technology does not permit us to perform live shows with holograms because it isn't possible to make such images with white light. Real holograms are made at the moment with lasers of a single colour. It may take a decade or two before engineers master the art of projecting full-size holograms with white light.

Future Applications

Holography will be increasingly used in a wide variety of products, and here are three applications that could happen by 2020.

Holographic Televisions

Holographic televisions may be possible within a decade but at a high price. MIT researchers recently made a prototype that does not need glasses, but true holographic commercial TV will take a year to appear. One day allTVs could be holographic, but will take 8-10 years.

Holography lets you store more data in a smaller space, and also lets you transfer it quickly. This is because holographic storage operates in three dimensions and not just on the surface.

The technology could be available in five years, but commercial demand for it is low at the moment.

Holographic computing

Computers could have holographic displays in less than a decade (Apple took a recent patent on it), but they could also use holographic principles for computing using light instead of electrons. Optical computing could also arrive within a decade, although their commercial success would depend on other factors.

Professor of Physics at IIT Delhi, Joby Joseph, provided information for the graphic